Gloria Starr, the image and etiquette advisor, debunks several myths dished out by the Western media about the Middle East

With several recent trips to Dubai and the Middle East, I am drawn again to the people and the culture. My next trip will be in March 2008. I will be hosting the 3-day Modern Day Finishing School and the 10-day Image and Etiquette Certification Training. I am also booked to appear on several major TV networks.

Intrigued, mesmerized and smitten by the people, their entrepreneurial spirit, the landscape of the city and the desert. It is a perfect blend of East meets West.

Full Abaya coverage for the women, to a lovely, elegant sari, to mini skirts, to three piece British tailored suits, to the Gutra for the men’s Arabic head covering.

The first of five calls to prayer at 4:30 am. An eerie and intriguing sound throughout the city of two million people.

Intimidation to intrigue to acceptance to honoring their traditions and learning to drink the coffee and eat the figs.

Sixteen lanes of traffic from Abu Dhabi to Dubai. High, high guard rails so the camels don’t walk over the mega highways.

Leaving the airport in Dubai, after 15 hours of flying time, smelling the sweetness of bright, pink petunias... a smell I remember so well from my mother’s garden as a child. Miles of beautiful, full-grown trees from the airport to the hotels and city of Dubai. How can this be? This is the desert, I’m sure. All of the trees and flowers are imported, brought in by large ships, along with the soil suited to their natural habitat.

Lovely five and seven star hotels with the finest of food from around the world and above average customer service. A shopper’s paradise. Lovely items beyond my dreams and desires. Fabrics imported from Paris, all of the designer’s garments and hats for the March horse races that equal Ascot.

Another highlight: the experience at the Burj al Arah-Jumeirah, the world’s first seven star hotel. Breathtaking, a work of art and exquisite. Dinner in the restaurant, fine dining without a doubt.

Then, a trip to the interior of Saudi Arabia. A special passport from the Saudi Embassy. But first, a trip to the shopping mall (the one with an indoor ski lift and lodge) to purchase the full Arabic attire to cover my blond hair. Not mandatory, but a way of respecting and honoring their culture and traditions.

Boarding the plane to Riyadh, the capital city of Saudi wondering if I would ever see my family and friends again. First class flight, compliments of King Abdullah’s Palace.

Sat beside a Prince. How would I know if he didn’t tell me?

Men meeting me at the airport and taken through customs via the VIP lounge. Can you imagine an airport lounge with chandeliers?

Checked into a wonderful hotel, the only white woman registered there. A lovely suite. No champagne or masseuse, but everything else exceeded my expectation! I was a guest in their country, a guest of King Abdullah.

Driven everywhere in Riyadh as women are not allowed to drive. I did several seminars for the Institute for Women and trained two of the Princesses in etiquette and social graces. I was invited to the Palace of King Abdullah for a private meeting with Princess Hessah, second wife of King Abdullah. I drank the coffee and accepted an invitation to come back to train the staff and attendants at the Palace.

Underneath the Abaya the women wore the most exquisite designer fashions I have ever seen. The women are educated with several degrees from America and Europe. They run businesses and run their household as do our women in North America. They are lively and vibrant and many speak several languages fluently.

So it is confirmed that Dubai and the Middle East are receptive to my Modern Day Finishing School. I have several more trips booked to Dubai and Saudi. People from Emirates Technical Associates, Global Power Systems in Pakistan, Abu Dhabi National Exhibitions Company, United Gulf Steel, the owner of a Finishing School in India, a woman from Egypt and the Princesses attended my Modern Day Finishing School.

It was an honour and a delight to meet, enjoy and drink the coffee with the people of the Middle East.